


Atlas: Monado Zine

by KentuckyTheFried



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alvis is a good buddy, Canon Compliant, Kallian is Stressed (TM)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29294661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KentuckyTheFried/pseuds/KentuckyTheFried
Summary: As Shulk and his companions journey towards the Mechonis, Prince Kallian must attend to war preparations in Alcamoth. As one might imagine, it's a stressful task, but luckily Alvis is here to reassure him.My piece for the Monado Zine!
Kudos: 7





	Atlas: Monado Zine

For all its majesty, Alcamoth looked rather dull on cloudy days such as these. The architecture of the imperial capital was mostly designed with greys and cooler tones, and without the sun to illuminate its walls, everything faded into each other, a monotonous mosaic. Kallian wondered if the lack of sunlight was to blame for his sudden loss of energy. It was either that, or how busy he’d become with war preparations - though he’d never admit that out loud. Too many people depended on him to be their leader, and for him to claim fatigue from it all? Absolute nonsense.

Inside the palace, Kallian walked amongst the newly developed Havres technology. Lorithia and the Ministry of Research had reconfigured their initial schematics so that they were effective against the Mechon, and now they were displayed like new toys in the halls of the castle. He’d offered to lead a squadron of Havres on the front line, to which the council had no complaints. He’d been surprised at their enthusiasm, especially Dickson’s, who smirked and told him he was braver than he looked. It was supposed to be a compliment, and yet Kallian couldn’t help but be insulted. 

“Your Majesty?”

Kallian blinked, realizing that in his thoughts he’d stopped in front of a masked High Entia soldier. Their head cocked to the side ever so slightly, and that gesture told Kallian that he’d been asked something he didn’t hear.

“My sincerest apologies, my mind was elsewhere,” He said, “What might I help you with?”

“The divine seer has returned from his journey and wishes to speak with you. He wanted me to inform you that he’s waiting in the Imperial Villa for you, when you can spare a moment of your time,” The soldier - ancestors, what was their name? - relayed the information to Kallian quickly.

_ Alvis _ . Kallian felt a small grin form on his lips. He’d returned safely, and perhaps bearing news of how Shulk and his sister were faring. A question bubbled in his mind - why did Alvis return so soon? - but it was quickly replaced by his relief, by a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Alvis could help him through this, warn him of any future threats they could overcome with further preparation. 

“Thank you,” Kallian told the soldier, who dismissed themselves with a formal bow before tending to the Havres behind them. Kallian turned in the direction of the transporter that would take him to the Imperial Villa. It was Melia’s favorite spot, if he recalled correctly, and sometimes he wished he could spend more time amongst the blossoms and the crisp, decadent air. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d visited; free time was a gift for a prince, but an almost forbidden luxury to an emperor. 

But of course, the hands of fate would pull his strings on his way to reach Alvis. Kallian was taken aside by soldiers, officials, other council members, all with questions they claimed only he could answer. He couldn’t remember a majority of their concerns by the time he finally reached the transporter; they’d all been trivial things, queries that didn’t require his immediate attention. Some were even questions he didn’t  _ need  _ to answer. Had they dared to search on their own instead of taking away Kallian’s time, they’d be equally as satisfied. It was a thought that Kallian quickly dismissed out of guilt. His people looked up to him, and it was only natural to request his aid. As standing emperor, he had a duty to Alcamoth, to the High Entia - he couldn’t forsake them for his own selfish whims. 

When the transporter whisked him away to the villa, Kallian let the fresh air soak into his skin, his wings rustling as he released their tension. He could see Alvis standing near some of the flowerbeds, focused entirely on their majesty. As Kallian approached, he called out to the imperial seer, attempting to mask his fatigue. 

“Alvis! My apologies for keeping you waiting. I’m pleased to see you’ve returned safely.”

Alvis turned to him then, straightening his spine and flashing one of his signature calm grins. “You did not keep me waiting, your Highness.” His head tilted, a curious action that matched a curious gaze. “Pardon my assumption, but you appear quite tired. Would you care to sit?”

“I’ll be fine,” Kallian shook his head, “Do tell me about your journey, though! How do Shulk and my sister fare?”

Alvis paused. It was too long, the silence that pierced the peaceful atmosphere between them, and Kallian felt his wings stiffen back up. He was prepared to hear the worst, but when Alvis spoke again he did so without an ounce of concern.

“I left their company when they reached Sword Valley. We came across two of the Faced Mechon on our travels, but they posed no concern to your sister or to Shulk. We also found Dickson waiting for us in Sword Valley with supplies; while I had arranged the supply convoy, I did not expect Dickson to be welcoming us. He told us you had sent him our way?”

Kallian blinked once, visibly confused. “I don’t believe I ever sent Dickson to protect the supply convoy, but I’m happy he was -” Then, a vague memory popped into his head, and he realized Alvis was right. “Oh! Yes, of course, I recall him asking permission to join the convoy so he could supply Shulk’s travelling companions with anti-Mechon weapons we had developed. My apologies, the incident nearly slipped my mind.”

“Mm.” Alvis’s lips pursed, “I imagine he has made himself busy with preparations of his own, now that we have both returned safely. How go the efforts on your end? I only caught a glimpse of the Havres technology in the main hall, but it appears as though you’ve made significant headway.”

“We could be further along, even at this stage,” He said, “Lorithia has been most helpful in developing the Havres, but building and distributing resources to our troops has been a slow effort, especially with regards to the anti-Mechon weaponry Dickson assisted in creating. There was a hiccup early on when we discovered our blueprints for anti-Mechon ether rifles had gone missing, and the supply convoy appeared to have taken the last ether rifles to supply Shulk’s party with, but thankfully that was resolved, along with the issue of drafting soldiers, a lack of an efficient fuel supply due to drained resources, the nightmare that was negotiating with the Nopon regarding the exchange of weaponry and aircraft -”

“Your Highness?”

Kallian stopped as he realized Alvis had stepped closer, and a careful hand had been placed on his right pauldron. A small sigh escaped the High Entia’s lips, tired and pitiful. The truth slipped from his lips before he’s gathered the strength to keep them hidden. “My father made these kinds of dealings look trivial. I’m doing my best, but my best may not be enough.”

“I believe without a reasonable doubt that you are doing everything you can,” Alvis said, and suddenly a spark of an idea raced through Kallian’s mind. He leaned forward, his wings fluffing out behind him as if they’d caught some nonexistent breeze.

“You can see into the future! Tell me, do my workings all pay off? Do we win this war? Does my sister return home safely?”

Alvis looked surprised, but only for the briefest of seconds. He bit his lip, still staring into Kallian’s unflinching gaze, and Kallian knew in that moment that he was holding something back. “I cannot see into the future beyond a certain point. Even if I had some inkling as to the outcome of the war, informing you now would only add on to your current amount of stress.”

Kallian opened his mouth, prepared to argue, but when Alvis didn’t falter, his shoulders slumped. “I understand, though I’ll admit I’m somewhat disappointed. Understanding even a fraction of what the future holds may aid us greatly in preparations.”

“You must trust in your ability to guide your people,” The divine seer told him, “Your father once told me he relied on his seer in the early years of his rule instead of trusting in his own methods, and that had greatly hindered his ability to guide the High Entia of the capital. You must do the same, in your short time as standing emperor. And if it is of any consolation…”

Alvis gave him a smile. It wasn’t exactly a rare sight to behold, but something in the turn of his lips sent a wave of calm over Kallian. 

“I believe you are doing a fine job. Melia would be proud of you, were she here to behold your efforts.”

Kallian hadn’t realized he needed to hear that until the words had reached his ears, dug into his heart. He opened his mouth, prepared to thank Alvis for everything, when another voice echoed into the villa.

“Your Highness? I’m afraid I have to pull you away; there’s an issue downstairs that needs your immediate attention.”

Had this been another soldier, Kallian would’ve had half a mind to shrug his shoulders and tell them to wait another minute or two. But instead, the High Entia standing next to the teleporter was Lorithia, whose creased eyebrows betrayed the permanent smile on her face. Kallian held back a sigh, now prepared to offer Alvis an apology for leaving, but again he was interrupted.

“Your Highness, while I won’t stop you, I’d advise you that you deserve some time off,” Alvis suggested.

“Preposterous! There’s too many efforts that need my attention, and if I were to step away -” Kallian started, but when Alvis stared him down with a look of bottled-up frustration, he placed his head in the palm of his hand. “I’m sorry, Alvis, I simply can’t afford to do that.”

“I understand. Forgive my presumptuousness,” He said, “I just want you to realize that the time you are given is precious, and that spending every waking moment on these preparations may do you more harm than good.”

“You’re right, but I refuse to abandon my duties simply because I’m feeling under the weather.” Kallian turned, preparing to follow Lorithia to the teleporter. “My first and foremost responsibility is to the people of Alcamoth - to the Bionis. However, I can at least promise to treat myself once this blasted war is over.”

Looking over his shoulder one last time, Kallian found that Alvis hadn’t made any move to join him, still standing by the flowerbeds. He dismissed this quickly; Alvis had just returned from a long journey, and Lorithia hadn’t requested his services either. As the teleporter activated and he was whisked away to the inner palace, Kallian found himself staring at Alvis, and Alvis stared at him in kind.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but in his final moments in the villa, Kallian couldn’t help but wonder why Alvis looked so sad. 


End file.
